On Thursday, April 14th, the Social Security Administration (SSA) released an Equity Action Plan (a 22-page PDF) in compliance with President Biden’s executive order of January 20, 2021 directing all federal agencies “to pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and other people who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.”

SSA’s Equity Action Plan will:

• Increase collection of race and ethnicity data to help understand whether programs are equitably serving applicants and beneficiaries,

• Revise policies and practices to expand options for service delivery,

• Ensure equitable access for unrepresented claimants in the Social Security disability application process,

• Decrease burdens for people who identify as gender diverse or transgender in the Social Security number card application process, and

• Increase access to research grant programs for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions and procurement opportunities for small and disadvantaged businesses.